Errors are impossible to avoid in golf. Most of us make them on every hole. It’s learning from those gaffes that gives us hope.

Grant Forrest has clearly learned from his mistakes.

The USD sophomore suffered a painful loss in mid-March at San Diego Country Club. He was leading the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic going into the final round and birdied the first two holes. His expectations soared.

Then Forrest three-putted the next two holes and missed the fifth green with a 9-iron in his hand. Those three straight bogeys produced a mental meltdown – “He was distraught after that,” said Toreros coach Cory Scoggin -- and Forrest didn’t recover, losing by two shots.

Move forward to last week’s West Coast Conference Championships in Bremerton, Wash. With a second-round 67 at Gold Mountain Golf Club, Forrest held a one-shot lead going into the final round. He charged out with three straight birdies and hit his ball to 6 feet at the fourth. But he three-putted from there and Scoggin waited for the reaction.

“He was a totally different person mentally,” said the coach.

Forrest pulled himself back together, closed with a 3-under-par 69 and seized the first title of his college career, winning with a 6-under total that was four shots better than Gonzaga’s James Fahy.

“Obviously, I’m very happy to have won,” Forrest said. “It was a great relief more than anything. I was working hard and playing well. I felt like it was just a matter of time.”

The medal performance should earn Forrest at least an individual appearance in the upcoming NCAA Regionals, though the Toreros are hoping for a team at-large berth after tying for third in the WCC. It would be a sixth straight Regional appearance for USD.

“He’s hard on himself. He wants to win. He’s very fiery,” Scoggin said Forrest. “To some extent, that’s what all great competitors have in common. It’s a matter of you have to feed off the good things and put behind you the things that don’t go your way.”

Though only 19, Forrest, from North Berwick, Scotland, has become a leader for a young Toreros team. He was the WCC Freshman of the Year last season, and his current scoring average of 72.31 is more than two strokes better than the second-best Torero, Swede Mathias Dahl.

Forrest was recruited to USD by former head coach Tim Mickelson (now at Arizona State), who offered him a recruiting visit, though Mickelson had not seen him play in person. Forrest had an impressive resume, including victories in the Scottish Under-16s and Scottish Boys Junior.

Coming from Scotland, where even the summer can be frigid, Forrest was enthralled with the golf opportunities at USD, as well as the education. He is an accounting major.

“You don’t even have to think about the weather. You put on a pair of shorts and off you go,” Forrest said with a laugh.

Still, Forrest fondly recalls winter rounds in Scotland with his father, Graeme, a commercial painter who first played the game while getting his son interested. They played friendly matches with his father’s friends at Craigelaw Golf Club.